Summary Whilst attempting to depart Borden Harbour on a scheduled trip to Cape Tormentine, New Brunswick, the ferry, with 149 passengers and crew on board, grounded in the harbour. She remained aground for two days. No one was injured, there was no pollution and the vessel was undamaged by the grounding. Ce rapport est galement disponible en franais. Other Factual Information Particulars of the Vessel Vessel Design The vessel is of unusual design. Eight Fairbanks Morse Diesel prime movers, four on the port side and four on the starboard side, each drive a generator which can supply 1,365 kW at 900 V. The total power output at the generators is 10,902 kW. There are four propellers: two forward and two aft. Each propeller is driven by an electric motor. The propulsion motors fitted forward are each rated at 3,751 kW while the propulsion motors fitted aft are rated at 5,002 kW. The system is set up so that the port side prime mover/generator sets supply electrical power to the propulsion motors on that side of the vessel. There is an identical arrangement on the starboard side. Up to three prime mover/generator sets may supply the forward motor on each side while all four prime mover/generators may supply an after motor. An electro-mechanical change-over switch permits the transfer of control of the engines from the navigating bridge to the after mooring position. A single rudder is mounted on the centre line between the two after propellers. The vessel has neither bow nor stern thrusters. The vessel can be manoeuvred from full ahead to full astern without any noticeable effect on the prime mover, thus providing an unusual degree of manoeuvrability. It is possible to turn this vessel in her own length. The vessel is fitted with two bower anchors, the hawse pipes for which are fitted above the forward propellers. Bridge Equipment The navigating bridge is forward, in which is mounted a central engine control console. On the console is a change-over switch to transfer engine control to the after mooring position, from which there is an unobstructed view of the fantail. The change-of-power control handle had a history of poor performance. Two to three weeks earlier, when departing Borden, this handle failed and came off in the master's hand. This had happened several times over the last few years. A 10 cm shifting spanner was available for use in case of such an emergency. The bridge is well equipped with aids to navigation as well as two Very High Frequency Radio Telephones (VHF-RT). A Navigational Telex (Navtex) receives local weather forecasts in a paper printout form. On the morning of December 20 there was no paper in this machine. An examination of the printed display of the Navtex revealed that the legibility of the display characteristics was compromised. The bottom portion of each character was missing. The printout could be read but the quality of the display was such that it did not allow for rapid discrimination of the characters. When a display is cluttered or unclear, the user is required to expend some effort in understanding what is presented. If that effort is seen to be greater than the perceived gain, the user may choose not to use the display and the information therein. The Berth at Borden The berth/breakwater is fitted with mooring bollards from the terminal to nearly the end of the berth. The side of the berth is protected by heavy timber fendering and at the knuckle by heavy rubber sheathing. Ferry Schedule From December to April, Marine Atlantic operated two vessels, the JOHNHAMILTONGRAY and the ABEGWEIT to provide a 24-hour, seven-days-a-week, short-haul ferry service between Borden, P.E.I., and Cape Tormentine, N.B. The masters are familiar with the demands of this trade. Their ability to handle these vessels is reflected in the statistics: since 1974, there have been 293,000 crossings, transporting 38,212,713 people, without a significant incident. In 1996 the JOHNHAMILTONGRAY made approximately 2,190 trips between Borden and Cape Tormentine; of these, the master on board at the time of the grounding had made approximately 525, all without incident. Operating Procedures In a normal docking operation, when approaching one mile off the entrance, the first mate goes aft to the after docking position and signals the master of his presence before the turning manoeuvre begins. Main engine control is then transferred to the after docking position, after which the first mate continues the manoeuvre started by the master. The master then goes aft to resume the conduct of the vessel, and performs the final manoeuvre into the berth. The vessel is loaded and discharged, embarked and disembarked through the stern door over the fantail. She has no bow or side doors and Company rules are such that the stern door must be closed before leaving harbour. On departing Borden (and Cape Tormentine) the master has the conduct of the vessel from the navigating bridge. After the passengers have embarked and the vehicles have been loaded, the mooring lines are let go and the vessel is moved ahead approximately 6 to 9m to enable the stern door to be closed. Decision to Sail The master is solely responsible for the decision to depart or to remain at a berth. Reportedly, the management of Marine Atlantic recognized the experience and knowledge of its masters and was fully supportive of their decisions. The master did not feel under any pressure from Marine Atlantic management to maintain the ferry's schedule, and this was not a factor in his decision to sail. Weather Forecasts There were no procedures or standing orders in place concerning the use of the VHF and the Navtex to obtain weather forecasts. The two VHF-RT sets, with which the vessel was equipped, were not utilised to obtain marine weather forecasts. The Navtex had run out of paper. The master's experience was that the weather forecasts he obtained from a local radio station were sufficiently accurate for marine use. He was aware that the wind force over water generally decreases when it blows over land. A marine weather forecast broadcast in plain language by Environment Canada at 0530[3] on December 20 stated, in part: Storm warning continued. Winds southerly 25 to gales 35 knots increasing to southerly gales 35 to 45 this morning and to westerly gales 45 to 60 this afternoon. This forecast was not recorded by the master being relieved nor passed onto the relieving master. The relieving master and first mate listened to local radio station weather broadcasts on their car radios before joining the vessel. The master heard that the winds were southwest 20-30 km (10-16 knots). No member of the bridge team obtained the forecast from the VHF radio, nor was the Navtex consulted. A local radio station broadcast a wind warning, which stated in part: Forecast for Prince Edward Island at 0500 AM AST Friday, December 20. For today, wind warning continued, winds southwest 50 km/hour (27 knots) increasing to southwest 60 (33 knots) gusting to 90 km hour (49 knots) this morning. Environment Canada maintains weather recording stations on P.E.I. at the following locations: (1) Charlottetown Airport, (2) Summerside Airport, (3) East Point and (4)North Point. At 0800, station 1 recorded winds of 190(T) 28 knots, gusting to 40 knots; at 0700, station 2 recorded winds of 170(T) 20 knots, gusting to 34 knots; at 0800, station 3 recorded winds of 180(T) 28 knots, gusting to 33 knots and, at 0800, station 4 recorded winds of 200(T) 20 knots, gusting to 38 knots. At 0900 these stations were reporting winds of (1) 220(T) x 52 knots, (2) no report, (3) 250(T) x 40 knots and (4) 210 x 50 knots. Public forecasts for early Friday, December 20, were warning of winds from the southwest at 60 km (33 knots), with gusts to 90 km (49 knots). These forecasts were sent to the media (via news circuits) for broadcasting. At 0806 the wind, as measured by the ship's anemometer and recorded in the deck logbook, was SW 20 knots. The master estimated the force of the wind when the vessel was nearing the end of the breakwater to be 120 knots. That figure was neither observed from the ship's anemometer nor recorded in the logbook. Reported Manoeuvres Prior to Grounding (times approximate) On departure, the bridge team consisted of the master, a trainee master, the first mate and the quartermaster. The trainee master did not play an active part in the team. Two days later, at 0839 on December 22, assisted by two commercial tugs and CCGS EARL GREY, the JOHNHAMILTONGRAY was refloated. Qualifications and Experience--Master and Mate The master began his service with Marine Atlantic in 1962. After serving in various roles including quartermaster, he was appointed second mate in 1971 and as master in 1975. Apart from a short time on Marine Atlantic's Newfoundland ferry service, his sea time, nautical knowledge and ship handling skills were gleaned on the Borden/Cape Tormentine trips. He possesses a Canadian-issued Certificate of Competency as an Ocean Navigator, Class One (ONI), a superior qualification to the minimum requirement for this class of vessel: Master, Ferry, Long Run. The first mate possesses a Canadian-issued Certificate of Competency (ONI) and served as a relieving master between 1990 and 1994. He began his service with Marine Atlantic in 1973.